Monken was the Oklahoma State offensive coordinator the past two seasons. He was hired by the Cowboys and coach Mike Gundy to replace Dana Holgorsen. Monken picked up where Holgorsen left off, grooming Brandon Weeden in 2011 and helping navigate a bevy of quarterback issues this season.

"You want high expectations," Monken said. "You want to be at a place where winning is expected. And this is one of those places. This is a new era of Southern Miss football. You've had that history and tradition — hit what I call a one-year speed bump — but I'm looking with great confidence to the future and not looking back."

Monken will not coach the Cowboys in the Heart of Dallas Bowl on Jan. 1. Instead, his attention turns sharply to rebuilding the Golden Eagles, who were in shambles last season and finished a winless 0-12 just a year after winning Conference USA.

"(The players) didn't forget how to win, how to work or how to compete," Monken said. "They're ready to work."

Johnson was fired and has since been named defensive coordinator at Auburn under newly hired Gus Malzahn.

Southern Miss returned to a familiar well to find Monken. In 2007, the Golden Eagles plucked Larry Fedora from the Oklahoma State staff when Fedora was the offensive coordinator. Even before Fedora, USM hired Jeff Bower from Oklahoma State, where he was offensive coordinator in 1989.

According to The Oklahoman, Monken interviewed for the USM job last year when Fedora left to go to North Carolina, but was beat out by Johnson. This time around, USM went away from a coach with a defensive-heavy background and hired one who has led prolific offenses in the Big 12.

At USM, Monken isn’t likely to have a duo like Weeden and receiver Justin Blackmon. This year, OSU entered the year with a true freshman quarterback and ended up starting three different players at the position because of injuries.

Still, the Cowboys’ offense finished the season ranked fourth in scoring offense and fifth in total offense.